The 2022 calendar 12 months has been filled with surprising surprises within the Arizona sports activities panorama.

Yet, via the ups and the downs, there’s loads for followers to be grateful for throughout the board.

The Phoenix Suns are nonetheless nice, the Arizona Coyotes have a small, albeit in style, new non permanent enviornment and the Arizona Diamondbacks debuted the subsequent wave of homegrown expertise, to call a couple of.

Not to say that COVID-19 isn’t a each day sports activities subject anymore.

While you’re having your third plate of Thanksgiving dinner, questioning what your native sports activities groups have that you have to be grateful for, listed below are some issues to contemplate.

Kyler’s right here to remain

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Believe it or not, Kyler Murray is already fifth all-time among the many Cardinals’ drafted quarterbacks in video games performed with the group.

He’ll even be the primary to crack 60 video games this century since Jake Plummer in 2002.

The No. 1 total choose signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension this previous summer season that runs via 2028.

While 2022 hasn’t been excellent — and quite crammed with drama — for Murray, he’s proven he can play at an MVP degree prior to now.

The remaining questions are whether or not Murray can maintain MVP-caliber play for a full season, if head coach Kliff Kingsbury may also help him get there and what roster does GM Steve Keim have to subject round him.

If a participant performs lengthy sufficient, they’ll have seasons the place they discover each ends of the hierarchy. This 12 months, Murray and the Cardinals (4-7) have struggled to search out constant success.

But how quickly we neglect he led the crew to the postseason final 12 months for the primary time in half a decade. And it’s not straightforward to discover a franchise quarterback.

Dallas and drama didn’t down the Suns

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

What occurred to the Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals in May won’t ever be forgotten. At dwelling, with the NBA’s greatest file, dropping by 33 factors is one thing that’ll sit with followers, and gamers, for some time.

Let’s additionally add the offseason drama with the investigation and suspension of proprietor Robert Sarver for racism and misogyny within the office, plus the weird free company of Deandre Ayton and the continuing Jae Crowder commerce state of affairs.

The gamers had been gifted a number of professional excuses to regress this season, and so they have the most effective file within the Western Conference (11-6) coming into Thanksgiving.

With Chris Paul at the moment sidelined, guard Devin Booker appears like an MVP candidate, whereas ahead Mikal Bridges is scoring at a career-best 16.3 factors per sport and capturing 47.4% from three.

The crew has withstood a number of speedbumps already and continues to carry out.

New enviornment, new vibes, new crew

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Even although the Coyotes have just one level of their previous 4 video games, they’ve performed properly above expectations within the early levels of this season.

It took 29 video games to succeed in 14 factors a season in the past, whereas it took 17 this season.

Arizona shares the brand new Mullett Arena with the Arizona State hockey crew, and capability is lower than 5,000, however the Coyotes have performed three of their 4 video games shut at dwelling — together with a win over the Florida Panthers.

Clayton Keller has scored on a career-best 20.6% of his pictures and leads the crew with 18 factors as properly.

Young outfield brightens D-backs’ future

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The Arizona Diamondbacks had a 22-win enchancment on their 2021 win complete this previous season, thanks largely to their younger outfield.

The trio of Jake McCarthy, Daulton Varsho and Corbin Carroll made lots of noise offensively, whereas Varsho and Alek Thomas blossomed into two of the league’s greatest defensive outfielders.

The emergence of those younger outfielders, coupled with the breakouts of first baseman Christian Walker and the 1-2 punch of right-handers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly within the rotation, and D-backs followers have loads to be pleased about this vacation season.

A return to March Madness on the horizon?

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

The Arizona State Sun Devils males’s basketball crew is 5-1 to start out the season and already has a signature win beneath its belt.

After beating Michigan by 25 factors, ASU went dwelling and beat the brakes off of Grambling State by 31 factors.

The backcourt of Frankie Collins and D.J. Horne have anchored the Sun Devils’ offensive assault, whereas Collins, Devan and Desmond Cambridge, in addition to Warren Washington anchor the defensive aspect of the ground.

Forward Marcus Bagley has performed solely two video games this season and ASU is 3-1 in his absence. This crew could also be legit and, if they’re, may make its first NCAA event since 2018-19.